AN: Hello guys! Sorry for the delay but I have been really busy lately, inside and outside University. I have good news for you, I finally found a beta reader and she's helping me a lot so, a big shout out to Artsoccer for her amazing work! Thank you.

From now on I'm planning on further updates but with a significant increase in quality. Or at least I hope! Again, sorry for a slightly shorter chapter but it's setting the bases for what's to come and I hope you'll enjoy it nonetheless.

Chapter 12

Gabrielle had made it to the council hut despite Epinhy's protests, who was taking seriously her new role as regent. She walked fast, doing her best to hide the hideous pain in her leg although the Amazon next to her had read easily through her lies, further discouraging the new queen to move, but the bard was strong willed and had lot to do, so there she was, standing before the most important people in her tribe for the last half candelmark, fulfilling her duty as queen although it was taking its toll

"It's not this simple Eponin, you all saw Velasca's conditions after the fight, and yet she escaped" she halted, starring at every woman present in the room before continuing "She didn't do it alone, someone helped her, send a couple of warriors out there, find out if there's any Amazon missing, then report to me immediately"

After her words left her mouth she was met with silence, the tall girl bowed to her queen and left the hut while the other Amazons there exchanged worried looks to each other before Solari took her chance to speak and voice their suspects "Are you suggesting there is a traitor among us?" she hesitantly asked, encouraging a few whispers

"I'm afraid it could be more than one, we need to be careful, Velasca was popular among the tribe, her fall wasn't taken well by many"

"And what about Xena, what will we do with her?" another Amazon asked, catching Gabrielle off guard

She hadn't thought of anything. Velasca's escapes and the possibility of a divided tribe was her main concern at the moment. She took some time to find the answer, receiving a few suspicious glares

"I will deal with her" she decided in a spur of the moment immediately wishing to take it back but it was too late, so she continued nonetheless "When she arrives I will meet her alone"

"My queen this way if anything goes wrong we cannot assure your safety" Ephiny chimed in "and with your leg- "

"Ephiny I KNOW!" Gabrielle snapped at her friend, silencing the curly Amazon; she didn't mean to shout but the tension of the situation and the pain constantly bugging her were finally getting to her, making her lose focus

"I'm sorry…" she tried to apologize but was met with silence again, remembering she wasn't alone with Ephiny she scanned the eyes of the other women and saw the embarrassment and surprise for her outburst. Suddenly a thought entered her mind

"Xena had sent a man here a few days ago, Draco, where is he?"

A few of the Amazons exchanged a confused glare before Solari found the courage to hesitantly answer "My Queen, he's gone, he had left the day after he got here, we didn't stop him"

If that surprised Gabrielle she didn't show it "All right, I think that would be all, you know what to do, if you'll excuse me now" she coldly stated, deciding she had enough. The bard made her move to leave the building after disbanding the council. She hastily walked out of the house and almost fell on the front steps but luckily was caught by her regent that with a quick move had saved her from an embarrassing and potentially painful situation

"Thank you" she said faintly, receiving a compassionate glare

"That's what I'm here for" the Amazon tried to cheer up the bard, with a reassuring smile

They headed to the queen hut in silence, the bard leaning against her regent for support while mentally cursing her leg. In that moment, she felt like a weight for the tribe rather than a Queen, she was supposed to lead her people, yet she could barely walk from one place to another.

"What's wrong?" the sudden question brought the bard out of her daze and she faced a pair of blue eyes starring right through her

"I can't do this Ephiny" she spitted out, letting it go "I'm not worthy to be Queen, I can't do anything right lately"

Her friend looked at her intently as if trying to find out whenever she was joking or actually being serious "Don't you ever say anything like that, Gabrielle you probably are the best thing that has ever happened to this Gods forsaken tribe, you brought peace and joy, a safe future for all of us" she strengthened her grip on the bard's arm, trying to empathize her words "you always look out for others, placing them before you, not many people do that"

A small smile escaped the bard's lips, once they reached the doorstep of her hut the regent bowed to the blond girl, disbanding herself

"Stay with me" she said on instinct, without thinking. She'd been almost completely alone since Xena left her and now had found herself craving for human interactions, she simply didn't want to be left alone, not now that she had found a family in Epinhy, she still had thousands of doubts and thoughts and fears in her mind but all that mattered now, all that she wanted was to spend time in company of a friend. Ephiny smiled at her request, but didn't decline it, on contrary she motioned for the door, and happily followed the bard inside.

As the pain on her leg was getting unbearable the short girl found herself heading straight towards her bed and dropped on it, exhausted by the council and the physical activity, but causing a small grin to escape the regent

"How long you will you play the part of the tough girl?" she asked, teasing the bard, approaching the corner of the bed to sit on it

"Shut up" she answered laughing at the curly girl, emitting a groan of pain once the weight of the regent settled on the fabric of the bed

"Gods do you have to move like an elephant?"

"Oh, shut up" she said nonchalantly

"That's how you talk to your Queen?"

"So, when you tell me to shut up is fine but when I do I get this crap?"

"I'm the Queen...?" she explained, raising a hand to emphasize her point, while smiling at deep blue eyes

"Besides Xena was always the one to play that part, not me"

After a few seconds of silence the smile disappeared on the bard's face, for darker thoughts had entered her mind; Ephiny must have noticed it as well for in the next moment she turned serious as well

"Oh Ephiny, what am I gonna do?"

"Why don't you start by telling me exactly what happened, since the beginning?"

After pondering it for a bit she did so, the bard told her everything, every detail, every emotion, every memory she had; she opened up to her friend until there was nothing more to be told, and found herself starring awkwardly and with a bit of sadness at the girl sitting in the corner of the bed.

"Gabrielle…" the regent reached for the bard's face, one hand softly caressing away the beginning of a tear in the green eyes

"It's ok Eph"

"If anything happens to me today I want you to take my place as a Queen" she begged the taller woman, who looked at her hesitantly

"Nothing will happen to you I promise, not until you are with us, we would all gladly die for you, that's the effect you have on us" she said smiling, proud of her words. The bard took it in silently but decided to be prepared for every possibility nonetheless

"Ephiny, I want you to promise me you'll take care of the tribe"

The regent looked at her intently in the eyes "I promise" she softly whispered, bringing her hands to her heart, closed in a fist

"You think you can reach out to her?" she suddenly asked to her queen, trying to change topic

The short girl closed her green eyes, thinking about an answer not sure of anything lately "I don't know Eph, I don't know what will happen, how she will react, I only know that there's some light in her, maybe I can still reason with her" she thought about it "or maybe I'm just being deluded"

"If there's anyone who can do it, it's you, we all have faith in you my Queen" She tried with a large smile

"There's no need to call me like that, not here Eph" She glared at her friend "besides, I don't think I'm making a big impression with this leg, limping around like an old woman" She tried to joked, although there was a seriousness hidden in her tone, that the regent had caught

"Oh, come on Your Majesty, it's just a flesh wound, it will heal in a couple of weeks"

"Too bad I don't have a couple of weeks"

"Sure you do, after this thing is over you will have plenty of time to heal"

"Ah curse it, you're probably right" the bard allowed a small grin to find it's place on her lips

"See" Ephiny smiled in triumph, crossing her arms in victory "I told you Your Highness"

"Ephiny…"

"Yes"

"Tell me again why I fought Velasca to save you?" she teased at her regent, now smiling fully

"Why, of course so I could annoy you to no end! Admit it, you would have missed me too much"

"You're giving yourself way too much credit" she joked

"Ouch!"

She was about to protest when a knock on the door interrupted her conversation, she quickly tried to sit up rise but the pain in her leg and a very zealous regent stopped her in her action.

"Come on in" Ephiny shouted for her, receiving an amused glare from the bard; shortly after, Eponin came inside quickly reaching the couple near the bed and profusely bowed to her Queen

"My queen I bring words from the patrol, the Warrior Princess will be here in a few minutes, what you want us to do?" she waited giving time for Gabrielle to answer

"See that you receive our guest, entertain her until I send words to you, then bring her to the council hut, I want to be left alone with her there, make sure of that"

"Yes, my Queen"

She squeezed her eyes, trying to focus on anything she could have missed, making sure everything was as she ordered

"And Eponin, while you are with Xena make sure to keep her in sight all the time, is that clear?"

"Yes, my Queen" she repeated in the same tone

"My Queen, about Velasca…" Gabrielle froze upon hearing that name

"Go on" she exhorted the woman before her, with a bit of hesitation in her voice as well

"Well we searched the village, and we have two Amazons missing, as you said" Eponin's words confirming Gabrielle's prior suspect "Although we have no trace of them and Velasca, they just disappeared from our borders I'm afraid"

"All right" she said, suddenly tired, the weight of her new role catching up on her "First thing first, we'll deal with Velasca after Xena, you can go now" she simply said, receiving a bow

She followed the Amazon with her eyes until she left the hut in silence and closed the door, successfully snapping the bard back into focus

"Come on Eph, help me up, we got work to do".

As soon as they were ready they left the house in their regal attire, moving to the now empty council hut. For the first time Gabrielle looked like a proper Queen in a full ceremonial dress, although it was hitching her everywhere, making her wonder how did all the precedent Queens survived with it, but they still made it to the building nevertheless and entered it

"Stop it" the regent scolded her Queen, now sitting on her throne, busy scratching every inch of her skin "You look more like a monkey rather than an Amazon Queen"

"It's not my fault if it hitches so bad!" the bard tried to justify herself and felt like a child once again

"Just don't think about it" she said, exasperated by the short girl's behavior

"Yeah, it's so simple for you, your dress doesn't look as bad" she said and took her chance to tease her friend "in fact it doesn't even seems like a dress, I mean, you are pretty much walking around half naked!"

"It appears I am not the queen; now, will you stop it or do I have to knock you out?"

"That's not a bad idea actually" the bard said thoughtfully

"Gabrielle..." Ephiny glared at her Queen

"What? I was joking" she simply said, raising her hands in defense. She heard some commotion coming from outside, in the distance and understood, it probably was the time

Here we go

"All right Eph"

"Are you sure about this my Que- Gabrielle?" she quickly corrected her sentence, trying to convince the short girl once again, hoping for the bard's common sense, but only witnessed her stubbornness

"Go Ephiny, I'll be all right, I promise"

"You know I'll be just outside"

The two smiled at each other in silence for a moment before the opening of the main doors crushed this moment of peace

"My queen, the Warrior Princess has arrived" Solari shouted from across the room, loud and clear

"Call Eponin, tell her I'm ready to meet our guest"

"My Queen" she bowed and disappeared from view, leaving her momentarily alone with Ephiny, who was still starring at her in apprehension, she opened her mouth to say something again but was promptly interrupted by the bard "Ephiny! It's ok, I'll be all right" she said half exasperated but still smiling at the taller woman, who silently bowed to her queen, looking into her green eyes one last time before leaving; her steps echoing on the stone floor until she was out of sight behind the heavy doors

Shortly after, the dying sound of the departing steps where replaced by a deafening silence that accompanied the bard in her waiting. She tapped her fingers nervously on the wooden armrest of the throne She could hear the rhythmic beat of her heart pounding against her chest such was the growing anxiety in her for the encounter. After what felt like an hour to Gabrielle the doors finally opened slowly once again, screeching against their hinges and projecting inside the silhouette of the Warrior Princess who progressively took shape, standing in the middle of the doorway

Gods here we go